Finding Sly
by Foxboy614
Summary: Sly's been missing for quite some time, but now, it seems luck is beginning to turn as a new clue emerges; one that should reveal where in time Sly is! Now, the Cooper Gang and Carmelita must travel through time, find Sly, and bring him back to the present. I OWN NOTHING! I AM STILL WORKING ON IT! FEAR NOT!
1. Chapter 1: The Clue

**I do not own Sly Cooper, nor do I wish to gain any monetary value from this. I am merely doing this for fun.**

 **This is how I envision Sly being rescued from Ancient Egypt. I'm also doing this because, while I was late in finding out, Sanzaru (whom I also do not own) isn't making a new Sly Cooper game. So all that trouble Sly and Carmelita went through, and leaving us with a cliff-hanger like that, they're just gonna knock us down like that. Ugh… Anyways, I hope you enjoy this.  
**  
Loneliness.  
A horrible feeling to have.  
And that's what the members of the Cooper Gang and Carmelita were experiencing since the loss of Sly. After his fight with Le Paradox, Sly was still stuck on the blimp, and is now lost somewhere in time. Bentley, Murray, and Carmelita have hunted high and low, trying to find clues as to where Sly could be. Bentley would use the time machine, but since he had no idea where Sly was, he wouldn't know where to begin his search. Murray, while still looking for Sly, remained on the pro wrestling circuit until any news about Sly appeared. Dimitri was also helping out in anyway he could, even if fashion was involved. Panda King and the Guru have even agreed to help out and let them know if they find out anything.

Then there was Carmelita.  
Out of everyone, she took his disappearance the hardest. But she tried not to let it show. But Bentley and Dimitri have seen her when she DID let it show. Watching her look at the picture of her and Sly together and crying her eyes out tore them apart on the inside. She also looked as if she'd collapse at any time; she must have been looking for him almost without breaks. The poor girl was exhausted, but refused to give up. Most women would've moved on by now; but Carmelita wasn't most women. Bentley's often wondered why Sly was in love with her, but seeing how determined she was to find Sly made him see that, not only does he know WHY Sly loves her so much, but that she loves Sly more than she's willing to admit.

Carmelita was currently reading the Thievious Raccoonus, Sly's ancestral book. Bentley and Murray were skeptical at first, but they trusted her enough to let her see it. She's been reading up on tricks Sly's used before, hoping to maybe use it in her line of work to catch criminals. Looking through the pages made her think of her trip through time where she met Sly's ancestors, namely Tennessee Kid and Sir Galleth. She learned from the former where Sly got his charm, and from the later where he gets his caring nature. How she misses that raccoon so.

She was shook from her reading when she heard her phone go off. She picked it up, and saw it was Bentley.  
"Hello?" Carmelita asked.  
"Hi, Carmelita." Bentley said. "What's up?"  
"I'm just doing some reading." she told him. "Any news on Sly yet?"  
"I'm sorry Carmelita. Still nothing." he replied sadly.  
"I see. Sorry for asking… again. I just..." she began, but started to lightly sob. "I just miss him so much."  
"I know Carmelita. We all do. Sly's practically my brother. If I knew where he was sent, I'd go get him." he admitted. "But don't worry; we'll find him… eventually."  
"I hope so." she said sadly. "I want him back..."  
"Me too, Carmelita. Me too. ...Well… hang in there. Bye." he finsished.  
"Goodbye." she finished as they hung up. She put her phone down next to the picture of her and Sly she found near the wreckage a good while back. As she examined the picture, she couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her surprised face when Sly kissed her cheek. She brought the picture up to her lips and gently kissed it where Sly was before putting it back down. But now, she was exhausted, and went to go to bed and cry herself to sleep. She had to get Sly back, and soon.

 ***The next morning***

Carmelita woke up, still feeling groggy, and fixed herself some pancakes for breakfast. As she ate, she read the Thievious Raccoonus some more. But this time, there was something… off. She noticed there was a folded piece of paper sticking out the top. She was confused, but concluded there was something special about it; it was sticking too far out to be something normally from the book. She took it out and unfolded it. She noticed it was a letter. As she read it, her eyes got progressively wider, her ears were perking up, her tail was progressively wagging faster, and a wide smile formed on her face. Unable to contain herself, she jolted up and dashed into her room to change into some different clothes. When she left her room, she ate her food quickly (but not too quickly), then zoomed out of her apartment. She had some BIG news for the boys.

 ***At the Cooper Gangs Hideout***

Bentley, Murray, and Dimitri were sitting at the table, eating some bacon, eggs, and toast when they heard impatient banging on the door. All three were scared; they feared the police finally found them.  
"I'll check it out." Murray said. He walked over to the door and peeked through the small hole. He was relieved to see Carmelita there. But at the same time, he was confused; she looked… happy. Murray unlocked the door, and Carmelita bolted in, smacking the door into Murray's face, making him rub his nose in pain.

"Carmelita? What are you doing here?" Bentley asked. He then noticed her face; she looked as if she could hardly contain her joy. "Why are you smiling so big?" he asked.  
No reply.  
Carmelita simply gave him the slip of paper she found from the book earlier. "Read this, and you'll find out."  
Bentley took the paper and read it to himself… only to choke on a piece of toast. He did manage to cough it up, though.  
"WHAT?!" he asked out loud and excitedly.  
"What is it?" Murray asked curiously, still rubbing his nose.  
"You're not gonna believe this..." was all Bentley said. "Listen..."

 **Dear Cooper Gang and/or Carmelita  
Do not worry about me. I'm safe. Le Paradox's blimp crashed in Ancient Egypt** **.** **My ancestor, Slytenkhamen** **III** **, found me and I'm currently with him. I've found a special medallion, and if you find it, it should be able to take you to the timeline I'm stuck in. Please, find that medallion and get me out of here! I'm about to go nuts in this heat, and I've seen enough sand to last me several lifetimes. To the Cooper Gang; if you're reading this, I'm sorry for causing you guys grief, and I miss you guys so much. I hope to see you guys again.  
To Carmelita; I'm awfully sorry for lying to you. I just really wanted to be with you without worrying about you shooting me. I hope you can forgive me. I love you with all my heart. You mean so much to me, you can't even imagine.**

 **Sincerely, Sly Cooper**

To say everyone was excited was an understatement; the hideout practically ERUPTED with hoots, yells, hollers, and cheers of joy when they learned where Sly was and that he's ok.  
"ALRIGHT!" Murray yelled out with glee.  
"GREASY SWEET!" Dimitri exclaimed happily.  
"AMAZING!" Bentley cheered. "Now that we know where he is, we can go and get him and bring him back home!" If Bentley could, he'd be dancing with glee. But in his joyous celebration, he forgot to check out the medallion. It looked basic enough, but in the center was an animal face… a RACCOON face. Sly and his ancestor must have prepared it themselves, solely for this purpose. Bentley's smile seemed to get wider. "Leave it to Sly to leave his mark, even in ancient times."  
"And on top of that, I know where the medallion is; the museum!" Carmelita pointed out.

"Guys… I know this is going to go against everything I stand for… but… you HAVE to steal that medallion." Carmelita told them.  
The Cooper Gang was in shock; CARMELITA, the woman who's hunted them down to the ends of the Earth, is FORCING them to steal.  
"B-B-But Carmelita!" Bentley stammered. "I want Sly back like you, but… what about your job?"  
"Bentley, at this point, I'm willing to be lose my job at Interpol PERMANENTLY to get Sly back." Carmelita told him, dead serious. "And if you don't steal that medallion, I WILL let the police know where your base is."

That alone was enough to convince Bentley and the other members of the Cooper Gang to help out.  
"So, when shall we go and get it?" Bentley asked, a bit scared.  
"Whenever we get a plan of action. Preferably today." Carmelita answered. Bentley remained silent for a few seconds.  
"You must REALLY want Sly back, huh?" he asked.  
"No… I NEED Sly back. There's a difference." she pointed out matter-of-factly.  
"Ok… we'll do what we can." Bentley told her. Satisfied, Carmelita smiled, said good-bye and let them finish their food.

Things were looking up now. Sly's location has finally been found out, and now Carmelita and the Cooper Gang are one step closer to finding him and bringing him back to their time. Their next plan of action is to get the medallion and go to Slytenkhamen III's timeline, find Sly, and bring him back to the present. This would be by far their most important mission yet.


	2. Chapter 2: The Heist

Within that same morning Carmelita found the note that let them know where Sly was, the Cooper Gang got busy almost immediately to formulate a plan to get the medallion and go back in time. They knew that there wasn't a moment to spare; every second was sacred. The gang thought out their plan, taking any and all possible occurrences that could happen into consideration.

 *** At Dusk ***

The Cooper Gang called Carmelita to their base to discuss their plan to get the medallion from the museum. Bentley turned on the projector so he could present everyone with what they need to do, and how to do it.  
"Ok, gang. This is it; the moment we've been waiting for. We not only know where in time Sly is, but what we can use to get us there. The mission is simple; get in there, take the medallion, and get out. This mission will be similar to when we took that dagger to go to Feudal Japan." Bentley explained.  
"Now, the Egyptian exhibit is on the right wing of the museum, so that's where Dimitri will enter." Carmelita added. "But before then, Bentley and Murray will have to cut the security systems off."  
"Correct. I'll cut the cameras from the sewers, like I did last time. And Murray, you'll need to destroy the power boxes inside the docking room. Do that, and Dimitri will have safe passage inside the museum." Bentley said.  
"Well… almost." Carmelita pointed out. "I'm guarding the museum again, and on top of that, Raimundo Delgato is joining me."  
"Who now?" Murray asked.  
"A tiger. He's an inspector, like me, but FAR less friendly to criminals." Carmelita told him. "Now, if I happen to see Dimitri, while on patrol, I can… turn a blind eye, so to speak. But if Raimundo finds you... you best hope he doesn't catch you."  
"Now remember Dimitri; our friend's life and safety is on the line. We can't afford to make any mistake. A single grain of rice can tip the scale in either direction. One mistake can make all the difference here. So, nothing flashy, ok? Stealth is the key here. Understand?" Bentley asked, making sure Dimitri took this as serious as possible.  
"I will do whatever is necessary." Dimitri responded.  
"Ok, so, at 9:00 sharp, we head to the museum and get that medallion." Bentley said. "Be ready."  
Everyone nodded and Carmelita left to get herself ready for work.

 *** At 9:00 ***

When the clock struck 9, the Cooper Gang immediately dropped whatever they were doing and set out to the museum to put their plan in motion. They didn't want to waste a single minute. Upon arrival, Murray dropped Bentley and Dimitri off. Bentley went into the same sewers he went into when they stole the knife so he could shut down the security cameras. Dimitri started to scale the a nearby building, hoping from rooftop to rooftop, making sure no one saw him. Murray drove on to the museum's docking room. He parked a good distance away from it so no one would suspect anything. And Carmelita was inside the museum, looking around to make sure there were no criminals trying to break into the museum, save for Dimitri.

 ***** **In the Sewers *  
**  
"Ok, gang. Is everyone on the move?" Bentley asked into his communicator.  
"Everything's under control, Bentley-baby!" Dimitri responded.  
"So far, so good." Murray confirmed.  
"Ok. Good." Bentley said. "This should be a given, but stealth is of the utter-most necessary. We can't afford to let ANYONE see us. Not even a little kid."  
"Relax, buddy." Murray reassured his reptilian companion. "We've got this. We've done this more times than we can count."  
"Well, just don't let that get to your head." Carmelita warned. "The last thing we need is for one of you to screw up."  
"Relax, Carm." Bentley said, trying to soothe her because he could tell she was feeling tense. "We're gonna pull this off, and we're gonna find Sly."  
"I know… I'm just nervous." Carmelita admitted.  
"We all are." Bentley said.

 *** In the Docking Room ***

Murray had finally made it to the docking room. He noticed the power boxes he had destroyed once upon a time, now repaired.  
"It's a shame to have to make their work to fixing the power boxes go to waste." Murray said to himself. "But Sly's life is on the line. I don't have time for feeling sorry." So Murray got to work immediately; picking up the first heave object he could find and throwing it at one of the power boxes, destroying it. Murray pumped his fist before picking up another heavy object with the intent to do the same thing to the next power box. Within no time, only one was left, but before Murray could prepare to destroy it, Carmelita came on the communicator.  
"MURRAY! HIDE! RAIMUNDO'S HERE!" she told him in a hushed manner, trying to make sure no one heard her.  
"Now?!" Murray asked in disbelief. "But it's not even 10:00 yet!"  
"He must've decided to come early. Just stay hidden, and keep calm. We'll think of something." Carmelita said. When Carmelita got off, Murray scrambled behind some boxes, covering himself up with a nearby bear-skin rug.

After a few seconds, Murray heard the door open, as well as a mean-sounding growl and a rifle cocking. Murray looked through a crack and saw the tiger. He was quite tall and muscular, he had brown-orange fur, a white muzzle, black stripes, golden-yellow eyes, a scar on the right one, and an Interpol uniform. He was also carrying a mean-looking rifle that looked like it was made by the same people that made Carmelita's Shock Pistol.  
"Oh… not good." Murray whispered. "He's now standing watch here."  
"Sit tight, big guy." Carmelita said. "I've got an idea. Just stay there, and don't move."  
"Like I have a choice." Murray snarked.  
Carmelita shrugged his snark off and left for the docking room. She hoped to convince him to leave the docking room to her so they could resume the mission. She hated having to turn against Interpol like this, but she needed Sly back; sacrifices had to be made.

After making her way through the museum, Carmelita made it to the docking room. She saw Raimundo sitting on a crate with a toothpick in his mouth and holding the rifle.  
"Hola, Raimundo." she greeted.  
"Hola." he greeted back.  
"What happned? I heard some noises, and I came to investigate." Carmelita explained. "Also… wy'd you come in so early?"  
"To answer your last question; I just wanted to show up early and take the museum off your hands so you could guard the docking room, but I heard some commotion in here, and saw that some of the power boxes were destroyed. I was gonna take the criminal down, but he must've ran off." Raimundo explained. "So, I guess I also explained what you must've heard."  
"...It seems so." Carmelita said, trying not to panic because Raimundo's early arrival made things a bit more difficult. "Well, I'll handle things here. You go in the museum. Maybe the criminal found another way inside." she suggested. Ramundo smiled and hopped off the crate, taking his toothpick out and snapping it.  
"Can do." he said. "But keep your eyes open. He could be anywhere." he instructed as he went through the door to go into the museum.

When the door closed, Carmelita leaned against the wall, sliding down with a sigh.  
"Murray?" she called out quietly. "You here?"  
"Yeah, I'm here." Murray replied faintly. "What now?" he asked, a little worried.  
"We need to wait until he's on the other side of the museum." Carmelita said. "I better contact Dimitri and let him know there's been a change in plans."

 *** On the Rooftops ***

Dimitri was now near a window above the Egyptian exhibit, awaiting the others' orders to get in and take the amulet. He had been waiting for a good while now, so he decided to contact someone to figure out what was taking so long.  
"Yo, what's going down?" he asked. "I'm not getting any younger or fresher up here."  
"There's been a change in plans. Raimundo's now gonna be guarding the museum while I'm in the docking room. If you see him enter the Egyptian exhibit, wait for him to leave, then get that medallion. I've recently got word from Bentley that he's deactivated the cameras. Murray's hiding here with me, waiting for the right moment to destroy the last power box." Carmelita explained.  
"Ok. I'll wait then." Dimitri said.

Now they were just playing the Waiting Game. Dimitri now had to wait for Raimundo to leave the Egyptian exhibit, and for Murray to destroy the last power box. Why did Raimundo have to make things more difficult?

But after a few minutes, Dimitri saw Raimundo in the Egyptian exhibit, looking around with his rifle up and ready to fire. Dimitri watched him and waited for him to leave. But the tension was killing him.  
"Anything yet?" Carmelita asked through the communicator.  
"I see Raimundo now." Dimitri replied. "He's in the exhibit. I'm awaiting your next order."  
"Let me know the instant he leaves. I have an idea; I think I may know a way to get him to let me leave without suspecting anything. When he leaves the exhibit, I'll have Murray attack me and destroy the last power box. While I'm getting him to attack me, I'll call Raimundo for 'back-up'. Murray will knock me out momentarily, destroy the power box, then high-tail it out of here. Raimundo will check up on me, and hopefully let me leave. But while he's gone, Murray will contact you when he's destroyed the box. That's your cue to get in, steal the medallion, and get out of there. Then, you'll all meet up somewhere, and I'll catch up whenever I can." Carmelita explained.  
"...Dang. You're starting to think a bit like Bentley." Dimitri commented.  
"I know, right?" Carmelita asked, slightly laughing.  
"Well, that sounds like a plan, baby!" Dimitri said excitedly. "Let's do it!"

 ***** **The Docking Room ***

Once Carmelita got of the communicator, she had to put her plan into action immediately. She called Murray to come out from behind the crates and attack her. However, Murray was a bit hesitant.  
"But… I-I-I can't hurt a friend." Murray said.  
"It'll be ok, big guy. I've handled worse." Carmelita said, reassuring him. "But remember; when I contact Raimundo, you'll need to be attacking me. And make it sound convincing."  
"Ok. Can do. This is for you, Sly!" Murray said as he lunged at Carmelita. He tried to throw a fierce right-hook, but Carmelita was quick to dodge. Murray then tried to attack her with a downward punch, but she ducked to the side again. She pulled out her walkie-talkie to contact Raimundo.  
"Raimundo! I have an attacker here. Hippo. Large, and strong. I need immediate back-up now!" Carmelita said into it, as convincingly as she could.  
"Sit tight, amiga. I'm on my way!" Raimundo said as he dashed out of the exhibit to the docking room. Carmelita smiled and put her walkie-talkie away.  
"He bought it!" Carmelita said into her other communicator. But because she wasn't paying attention to Murray, he punched her hard on the side of her face, knocking her into some nearby crates.  
"Ok, Dimitri. NOW!" Murray shouted into his communicator as he picked up a heavy object and threw it at the power box, destroying it. "Alright!" he shouted triumphantly. "The Murray is victorious!"  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's nice." Carmelita said, sounding unamused. "Now, GET OUT! QUICK!" she yelled. Murray nodded his head and ran out, heading to the van.

The door swung open, and Raimundo rushed in with his rifle ready, looking around frantically, trying to find the criminal. As he looked around, he noticed the broken crates and hear Carmelita groaning. He walked over and helped Carmelita out.  
"You ok? What happened?" Raimundo asked with concern.  
"That hippo got me good. He ran off while I was down." Carmelita told him. Raimundo was relieved to see his teammate alright.  
"Listen, you go home and rest up." he told her. "And don't worry; I'll handle things from here."  
"Are you sure?" Carmelita asked.  
"Yeah. I know you've been very busy, and I've noticed more dark circles under your eyes recently. So you go home and get some rest. I'll be alright." Raimundo answered.  
"...Ok. Take care." Carmelita said. "Good night."  
"Sleep well." Raimundo replied. "If you accidentally oversleep, I'll tell the boss you're taking some vacation time off."  
"Ok. Thank you." Carmelita said gratefully.  
"Anytime." Raimundo said smiling.

As Carmelita left the room, she contacted Bentley on the communicator, making sure to cut her walkie-talkie off and using a hushed voice, so Raimundo wouldn't suspect anything.  
"Ok. The power boxes are destroyed. Has Dimitri got the medallion yet?"  
"Yep!" Bentley replied happily. "He has it, and is on his way to the van as we speak. We'll need to get some place safe. Raimundo will be on high alert, no doubt."  
"Yep. He told me to leave, and that he'd guard the museum for me." Carmelita said. "Not to mention, I may have some vacation time on my hands."  
"Very good." Bentley said. "Now, things are looking good. Now that we have the medallion, we can go back to Ancient Egypt, and find Sly!" Bentley could hardly contain his glee. "We'll be at the Eiffel Tower. Meet us there as soon as you get the chance." he instructed.  
"Can do, amigo." Carmelita said in agreement. "I'll be there."


	3. Chapter 3: Ancient Egypt

Now things were really looking up for Carmelita and the Cooper Gang. They now had the medallion and Carmelita was heading over to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with the guys to go to Ancient Egypt.

Once she finally reached the Eiffel Tower, Carmelita looked around, trying to find the van.  
"Hey! Carmelita! Over here!" a voice called out. Carmelita turned her head towards the voice, and noticed it was Bentley, waving the mechanical arms on his wheelchair. Carmelita waved back and ran toward the van.  
"Ok, so what's next?" Carmelita asked as she got inside and buckled up.  
"We have the medallion, and we three are ready to go." Bentley said.  
"Make that four, because I'm ready too." Carmelita said enthusiastically.  
"Great to hear it." Bentley said with a smile. "But there's still one thing we need to do first; we need to drop the Thievious Raccoonus off somewhere it'll be safe. We can take no chances."  
"And luckily, we found out that the Panda King was staying here in Paris for a few days, and that he's leaving tomorrow. He'll be waiting at the airport for us, where we'll give him the book to guard back in China while we go back to Ancient Egypt." Murray said. Carmelita was impressed by them; they were multiple steps ahead.  
"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Carmelita said, anxious to get going.  
"Ok." Murray said. "Here we go!"

And with that, he put the van in gear and drove off for the airport. He was careful not to speed, considering they had a cop in the van with them, and they didn't want any other police officers on their tails, possibly compromising their mission.

 *** At the Airport ***

Once they finally reached the airport, Dimitri ran inside with the book in hand. Luckily for him, it was pretty calm tonight, and most of the people were either asleep, or waiting for someone to either get off or get on. And Dimitri didn't even have to look far; the Panda King stuck out like a sore thumb. Dimitri smiled and ran up to Panda King.  
"Panda King! Waddup!" he greeted.  
"Greetings, Dimitri." Panda King greeted politely, bowing to him. "It is great to see you again. I hear you and the others have located Sly, and are going back in time to find him and bring him back home."  
"Indeed we are!" Dimitri replied happily.  
"Most excellent." Panda King said softly. "Do you have the book?" Dimitri smiled and handed the book to him. The Panda King looked over it as multiple memories flooded his mind. "How ironic; years ago, I fought to steal the contents within. Now, I'm guarding them. Regardless, I shall defend it with my life."  
"Thanks bro." Dimitri said as he bowed to Panda King, who bowed back. After exchanging farewells, Dimitri left and ran back to the van.

 *** Back at the Van ***

Bentley and the others were still waiting patiently for Dimitri to come back, albeit they were taking a quick nap. Murray opened up an eye that was closest to the window and saw Dimitri running toward the van without the book.  
"It is done: the Panda King now has the book and will guard it for us." Dimitri told them, waking them all up.  
"Alright!" Murray cheered.  
"Excellent!" Bentley exclaimed with glee.  
"Sweet!" Carmelita shouted happily. "We are in business!"  
Bentley put the medallion into the scanner for the time machine, and the machine began to whir and hum as it scanned the artifact, setting a time for them. Soon, a green light lit up, signaling that the van was ready for take-off. "DRIVE MURRAY!" Bentley commanded.  
"YOU GOT IT!" Murray shouted back. "HANG ON TIGHT EVERYONE!" he instructed as he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, making the van zoom ahead, the force pushing everyone back in their seats. The van began to glow as it went faster and faster, and until it went through a special portal. Then, from the present, it was gone like a shadow at midnight, leaving only a burning trail in it's wake.

As they were traveling through time to Ancient Egypt, Carmelita took the picture of her and Sly when they were on a date out and smiled.  
 _"Sit tight, Cooper."_ she said to herself. _"We're on our way."_

Within no time, the gang had arrived at their destination. There was sand as far as the eye could see. But they also saw what looked like a sphinx connected to one of the Great Pyramids. While they knew they were close, they still needed more to go on. And luckily for them, they saw EXACTLY what they needed; remains from Le Paradox's blimp.  
"Le Paradox's blimp!" Bentley exclaimed excitedly. "I bet we can find some of Sly's DNA, and use it to track him down!"  
"I'll go investigate!" Carmelita said as she jumped out of the van and ran to the ruined remains of the former time-traveling blimp.

Carmelita looked around, trying to find anything that could help them locate Sly. She looked around for a shred of clothing, some tufts of fur, anything that had his scent or DNA. Soon though, something caught her eyes; a patch of fur and Sly's calling card. Carmelita smiled. "Oh, thank you Ringtail." she said to herself. She took out her binocu-com and contacted Bentley.

"Bentley. Do you see this?" Carmelita asked.  
"Yes I do!" Bentley said happily, seeing the fur and the card. "Leave it to Sly to do this."  
"Say… since you and Sly used something like this to find Salim Al Kupar… do you think we can use it to find Sly? Or to at least go in the right direction?" Carmelita asked.  
"I bet we could." Bentley replied. "Of course, it'll be a bit more difficult, given our current location."  
"True..." Carmelita stated. "If only Sly left us a map..."  
"Well, luckily for us, I've already got us one; I've scanned the fur's DNA, and I've managed to get a good layout of where Sly could be. I've pin-pointed three cities that are close by. And Sly's DNA trail leads to one that's actually not too far from here." Bentley said.  
"Huh. I thought you said it'd be difficult to find Sly's trail." Carmelita said with an amused grin.  
"I did. I just happened to find it quick." Bentley replied, a bit smug. "You DO know who you're talking to, right?" he asked with that same smug tone. Carmelita rolled her eyes with a smile and left the ruins and headed back to the van.

Once she was in, Murray drove off in the direction of the city, following Sly's DNA trail. Carmelita could hardly contain her excitement. They were getting so close to finding Sly, she could just feel it down to her core. And NOW, they had his DNA to go on. Sly is as good as found now.

As Murray was driving, Bentley handed Carmelita a box. Carmelita looked at it in confusion.  
"What's in it?" she asked the genius turtle.  
"Not telling; it's a surprise." Bentley told her. Carmelita stared at him for a few seconds before she turned her head towards the box and opened it up. Inside was a new belt, similar to her current one. It had a gold buckle with the Interpol logo, a holster for her Shock Pistol on the back, and two scabbard-like holders on the sides. Carmelita wondered what those were for. But, she didn't want to come off as rude.  
"Thank you Bentley." she said gratefully. "But, what are these other two holders for?"  
"For these." Bentley replied as he held up two hooked batons. The batons were fairly long, but still short enough to use properly. The hooks themselves were gold, similar to the one on Sly's cane. "I figured you could use these to help catch bad guys. Since you've been reading the Thievius Raccoonus, I figured you'd have learned a trick or two."  
Carmelita was touched by Bentley's action; even in spite of the trouble she's put them through, Bentley still found the time to make something nice for her. Carmelita unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned back, and gave Bentley as good a hug as she could, given her current position. Bentley blushed, but returned her kind gesture.

Soon, the gang had made it to the city.  
"Well, we're here." Murray commented. "But we'll need to find a place to lay low."  
"Good idea." Dimitri said. "Meanwhile, I'll go in the city and scout of the location to see what baddies we're up against."  
"Good luck Dimitri." Bentley said as he gave the iguana a salute. Dimitri saluted Bentley back and jumped out of the van and ran into the city. While he was scouting out the city, the others drove around the city walls, trying to find anything that looks like it'd be a good hiding place.  
"I hope we get lucky and find something." Carmelita said out loud to no one in particular.  
"Me too, Carmelita." Bentley said.

Meanwhile, in the city, Dimitri was jumping from the rooftops, avoiding the sight of guards and cataloging what guards he noticed. So far, he saw there were some falcon archers, some jackal magicians, and some female cat assassins. While he felt he could take some of them easily, he then noticed a large crocodile guard covered in tough, Egyptian-styled armor and carrying a big axe and a few bombs on his belt. He took some photos of the guards and sent them to Bentley and the others. He could faintly hear them talking, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. So, he took out a small listening device Bentley had shaped into a scarab and sent it down to the guards talking below. And from what he heard, he sent it down at exactly the right time.

"Now, on to our next task; have any of you found Slytenkhamen?" the crocodile asked.  
"Not yet. But we have found this cave that leads under the city. It's shaped like a cobra's head and has a purple sheet with gold linings covering the entrance. I bet that is where he is hiding." a falcon answered.  
"But we have searched there many times, and he's not down there." a jackal explained. "Also, now there are two raccoons running around. It is giving us a very hard time, for when we go to stop one of them, the other is stealing something from the other end of the city."  
"I know… and there's a lot of places to hide." a cat commented.  
"Well… I have noticed some suspicious activity around three different abandoned buildings." a jackal pointed out. "My men have been patrolling the areas around them, and we've noticed some… shady characters going to and from there."  
"Are you saying they're connected to Slytenkhamen?" the crocodile asked.  
"It's possible." the jackal said. The crocodile scratched his chin in contemplation.  
"Well… I will send some guards over to the buildings and have them patrol them. No one will get in, or out." the crocodile said. "I know of a few hippo guards and cobra fighters that will do quite nicely as guards for the buildings. If that raccoon is anywhere near those buildings… we'll catch him."

Dimitri had to restrain himself from cheering; he now had an idea as to where Slytenkhamen could be. And if they knew where to find him, then Sly shouldn't be too far.  
"Bentley… did you hear them?" Dimitri asked into his binocucom.  
"Yes I did. We're getting closer and closer to finding Sly!" Bentley replied excitedly.  
"Also, I hear there's a cave that leads under the city. It's shaped like a cobra head." Dimitri explained.  
"I know. We've already found it and we've set up in there. Carmelita's setting up special markers that you'll be able to see through your binocucom. No one else will be able to see it. So follow them, and you'll be able to find us." Bentley told him.  
"Understood, amigo." Dimitri said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Dimitri looked around with his binocucom still up, looking for the markers. He noticed a few already, and another that just popped up. He smiled and made his way towards one of them. But he only made it halfway to one of them before a stray arrow hit a wall behind him, barely grazing the side of his face. Dimitri turned to the arrow, then in the direction it was fired from. Standing on the side of a building was a falcon, who was currently setting up for another shot. Dimitri's eyes widened and he took off in the other direction. He knew he couldn't go to the hideout now; he'd lead the guards right to the Cooper Gang.

The falcon let out a loud screech, alerting the other guards. Dimitri was getting nervous now. The falcon that shot at him was following him every step of the way from the rooftops, trying to shoot him down. Dimitri was so focused on him, he wasn't focusing much on the jackal and cat guards about to catch him. Dimitri panicked and ran the other way. The guards once more started to give chase to Dimitri, and the jackal even started to shoot magic bolts at him.  
"CARMELITA! I NEED HELP!" Dimitri yelled into his communicator.  
"Ah, jeez. Ok. Sit tight, amigo. I'm on my way." she replied back. She stopped putting markers down and listened for any kind of commotion; chances are that Dimitri's involved, she thought.

However, it didn't take long before she heard Dimitri yelling as well as several other guards yelling at him. She jumped from one rooftop to another to see how much trouble he somehow managed to get himself into. And it took her a lot of willpower to not laugh; he had three falcon archers, four jackal magicians, two cat assassins, and a crocodile juggernaut, all on his tail.  
 _"How do you even MANAGE that?"_ she asked herself. But she knew she had to help him, so she took out her Shock Pistol and fired a few rounds at the guards, managing to take down two of the falcons and one of the cats. The remaining guards looked and saw Carmelita. The crocodile told the guards to go after her. And when he turned back to Dimitri, the iguana was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, trying to find him, but had no luck. He threw his axe down, yelling something in Egyptian before he picked it back up and leaving to look for Dimitri.

But what the crocodile didn't know, was that Dimitri was hiding inside a nearby jar. As Dimitri watched the crocodile leave, he heard Carmelita speak up on his communicator.  
"Dimitri! I bought you some time by distracting the guards. Take that time to get out of here and to our safe-house. I'll catch up with you as soon as I can lose the guards."  
"Got it, baby!" Dimitri told her.  
"Don't call me baby, ok?" Carmelita snapped. "Only Sly can call me that."  
"Sorry. Good luck. Dimitri, groovy and signing off." he said as he closed communications. He then looked around, making sure no guards were around before he went to the cave to join up with the others.

And once Carmelita joins them, they'll be able to plan their next move.

 *** Finally got this one done. I may try for six chapters with this story. With that said, thanks for reading, and for those of you that are following this story, thank you for being patient. I'm doing the best I can do here.  
With that said, this has been Foxboy614, and I bid y'all sayonara until the next chapter. God bless, and take care.**


	4. Chapter 4: Starting the Mission

After a frantic chase that lasted for at least a half hour, Carmelita had finally ditched the guards. But before she returned back to the base, she snitched some special clothes for her and the others to wear just in case they had to go into the city. Along with that, she decided to place some special cameras near the buildings they would have to check on so they could make a proper plan of action, as well as a few bugs to listen in on them and see if they can learn anything important.

As dusk approached, the Cooper Gang went over what they've learned and used it to come up with a plan of action.

"Ok, so we know that they'll be placing several guards near the buildings where Slytenkhamen could be hiding." Bentley began. "So getting in could be a bit of a problem. Because, no matter how we try, we won't be able to sneak in so easily. Those hippo guards are tough, and will be patrolling those buildings like loyal guard-dogs."  
"However, thanks to the bugs, I was able to figure out some weaknesses of the hippos." Carmelita said. "What we need to do is use it to our advantage."  
"How so?" Murray asked.

"Well, I learned that the one on the left side of the city is all alone, since he's a really good guard, but he's been working really hard recently, and could desperately use a break. So, we'll have Dimitri snatch some clothes for you so you'll look like a guard, and you'll take his place, and then I'll head inside and see if Slytenkhamen is in that building." Carmelita explained.

"Secondly, I learned the one on the right side of the city has those other guards with him as sort of a… restraint team. He takes his job VERY seriously, and will NOT hesitate to take you down if you steal anything. So, again, we'll have Dimitri steal something valuable and run off, and the hippo will give chase. The others will have to try and restrain him, allowing me safe passage… assuming we don't find him in the first building." she added.

"And finally, the one near the middle. The hippo is as stoic as one can be. He only does what he is told, and doesn't let anything distract him. Nothing… but ONE thing." Carmelita said, raising her index finger for empasis.  
"And that is?" Bentley beckoned.  
"Dancers." Carmelita answered. "If a dancer is around, and performing, he'll be putty in her hands. And ours as well."  
"But how are we gonna pull it off?" Bentley asked. Carmelita crossed her arms, looking at him in a way that said she would do it.  
"Wait? ...YOU?! But, I-I thought you HATED when we made you dance for the guards so we could get in the building back in Ancient Arabia." Bentley pointed out.  
"I did. But for Sly's sake, I'm willing to put my dislike for it aside and take one for the team… especially for Dimitri's sake." Carmelita said. "Also, I still have the dancer's outfit."  
"… Uh… may I ask… why?" Bentley asked, really wanting an answer to that.  
"Let's just say… I have my reasons." Carmelita said with a slight grin. Bentley noticed it, and had a good idea what she meant.

"Well… anyways… which should we go after first?" Bentley then asked.  
"We'll go after the left building." Carmelita answered. "So, Dimitri, go out and snatch us some armor for Murray, and we'll handle the rest."  
"Got it!" Bentley said. "Well, let's get to work!"

And with that, they were ready to set their plan in motion. Dimitri and Carmelita left together while Bentley and Murray waited in the cave.

Once in the city, the two discussed what to take.  
"Now, I know we said we would have YOU steal the stuff for Murray, but I'll help you out. That way, we can cover more ground and finish the job in half the time." Carmelita said.  
"Sounds good. Thank you." Dimitri said back. "So, what do we need to steal?"  
"A head-dress, gold bands and gauntlets, a cloth wrap, and sandals." Carmelita answered. "Oh! And a weapon for added measure. Knowing Murray, something big."  
Dimitri looked around and noticed a crocodile carrying a large sickle. "Like that?" he asked, pointing to the crock. Carmelita looked, and when she noticed the sickle, she grinned and nodded her head.  
"Exactly." she replied.  
"So, we get the clothes, the weapon, then meet back at the safe house?" Dimitri asked.  
Carmelita cracked her knuckles with a grin. "That's the plan. Let's get to it!"

The two went their separate ways to get the stuff. Carmelita decided to go to the west side, while Dimitri took the east side.

 *** With Carmelita ***

Once on the left side of the city, Carmelita looked around from high up on a rooftop, looking for someone who may have the stuff she needs for Murray. She puled out her binocucom and looked into it. So far, she was not seeing anything that could provide her with the help she needs.  
 _"Something tells me this could take a while."_ she thought as she put her binocucom away and hopped over to another rooftop, hoping to have better luck if she looked in a new area.

Once set up in a new spot, she looked into her binocucom again.  
But this time, she had better luck; the pouch on the back of one of the crocodile guards was glowing yellow. And from her experience with the Cooper Gang during their journey through time, she knew that meant that the guards have something good.  
"Bingo." she muttered to herself as she put the binocucom away and dropped down to the street.

Carmelita looked around, making sure no one was watching her before she proceeded to sneak behind the reptilian guard. She quietly pulled out her twin hooks, ready to snatch whatever was inside the pouch. She knew she had to be quick, so with great stealth, she swung one of her hooks and snatched the pouch right from behind him before sneaking away to get to higher ground and examine the bag.  
At first, there was just a bunch of gold coins. But at the very bottom was a headress, similar to the one the hippo guards wore. It had red and golden-yellow stripes, and a gold band with a ruby at the front. Carmelita smiled in triumph as she put the headress away.

Carmelita then went to repeat the process; go up to a high point of the city while avoiding guards, see who has the stuff needed for the disguise, get it, and get out.

Near a shop that sold various different fruits, Carmelita saw another crocodile guard with a glowing pouch through her binocucom.  
"Well, this one was easier than the last time." Carmelita commented to herself before hopping down to the ground, ready to sneak behind the guard and get whatever he has in his pouch.

Like before, Carmelita sneaked up behind the guard, making sure no other guard saw her and swiped the pouch away from the crocodile and ran away as quietly as she could so she could examine the bag. And like the last one, there was mostly coins, but at the bottom were the gold bands and gauntlets. Carmelita grinned big.

Once on higher ground, she contacted Dimitri to see how far he has gotten.  
"Dimitri, how are things on your end?" she asked.  
"NOT GOOD! THAT CRAZY HIPPO IS AFTER ME!" Dimitri screamed. Carmelita groaned in annoyance.  
"Are you serious?!" she asked.  
"YES! I've got my stuff, but you need to go to that building and inspect it while there's no guards!" Dimitri told her.  
"Understood. Just… try to shake those guards." Carmelita said as she put the binocucom away.

Carmelita groaned in annoyance.  
"Dang reptile..." she muttered before taking off to the right side of the city.

Once there, Carmelita looked for the building. It did not take long before she found it and headed down there without an issue. Carmelita looked around, smiled, and casually strutted inside.

Inside, she looked around for Slytenkhamen, trying to find him or Sly. But no luck.

"Who goes there?!" a voice called out. Carmelita spun around and pulled her hooks out, ready to attack.  
"I mean you no harm!" she said. "Please come out."  
"...How can I trust you?" the voice asked.  
"If I was a threat to you, I would've tore this place up already, trying to find you." Carmelita answered.  
"...I see your point." the voice said as the source of it stepped out, revealing a jackal with purple eyes, dark black fur, a purple and yellow striped head-dress with gold trims, and a wrap around his hips with a similar color-scheme to the head-dress, leater sandals with armored padding on his shins, as well as shoulder guards and gauntlets. He also had a dagger hanging from his belt.

"...Who are you?" Carmelita asked, afraid of the jackal for a bit.  
"My name is Imhotep." the jackal said. "I work along with Slytenkhamen. I thank you for coming to save me."  
"Well… you're welcome, but I was actually looking for Slytenkhamen himself." Carmelita admitted.  
"Regardless, I thank you, and I shall help you find him." Imhotep said. "Where are you hiding out at?"

Carmelita's eyes became wide and her mouth dropped open a little.  
"Wha- how do you know I'm hiding out somewhere?" she asked.  
"A woman dressed like you?" Imhotep asked jokingly as he examined Carmelita's attire. "I figured you are not of this time. Similar to that OTHER raccoon."  
"Other raccoon?" Carmelita asked, her ears perking up, her tail wagging, and her eyes getting wider. "You mean you've seen Sly?"  
Imhotep scratched his chin. "I believe he said that was his name."  
"Where is he?!" Carmelita asked, desperately wanting an answer.  
"Unfortunately, I know not." Imhotep said. "But I shall help you find him, if you will help me find my other allies that are trapped inside the remaining buildings."  
"…Well, it just so happens that we'll be investigating those areas next. So worry not." Carmelita assured him.  
"I thank you once again. Now let us leave this place." Imhotep said as he and Carmelita left the building and headed for the cave.

But then, Carmelita remembered Dimitri and told Imhotep to proceed to the cave where Bentley and Murray were waiting at while she went to rescue Dimitri from the guards.

Carmelita could tell this mission was going to keep her on her toes through its entirety.


	5. Chapter 5: The Left Building

With one building down, the Cooper Gang now had two remaining. And on top of that, they now have a new helper. While the Cooper Gang's plans have been altered, it was not for bad reasons. Especially since, as they learned later, the middle building has a special door that may take multiple people to help out in opening.

Next up, they had to infiltrate the building on the left side of the city, since they did not get to the last time due to the guards chasing Dimitri, abandoning their post. And now that they had the clothes for Murray's disguise, it was time to put it to use.  
However, at the moment, Imhotep, the jackal, has gone missing, and no one has seen hide or hair of him.

"Where could he be?" Bentley asked as he scratched his head.  
"I don't know." Carmelita replied as she paced the room. "He said he would help us out… oh, I just hope he's ok."

As Carmelita continued to pace the room in worry for Imhotep, the sound of metal dragging along the ground and panting broke the silence. Carmelita bared her teeth and pulled out her hooks, ready to fight if she needed to. After a few seconds, the mysterious person seemed to have caught their breath and proceeded to drag the metal object along once more. The air within the hideout grew thick with tension as a shadow appeared along the hall. Carmelita growled softly, yet fiercely.

"Gah… accursed thing… how strong was that crocodile?" the invader asked himself.

Carmelita felt great relief wash over her when she recognized the voice of Imhotep. He had finally returned to them, and he had the sickle with him as well.

"Imhotep! You made it!" Carmelita cheered.  
"And you got the sickle!" Murray yelled in joy.  
"GREASY SWEET!" Dimitri cheered.  
Imhotep looked at him, confusion plastered on his face. Carmelita raised her hand and shook her head a bit, as if to tell him to not question it.  
"Perfect! Now that we have the complete set, we can investigate the left building." Bentley said.

Murray wasted no time in getting dressed in the special clothes and headed out to the building, with Dimitri following behind him shortly. Dimitri decided to do it to give Carmelita a break, given that she had to get his tail out of trouble twice already, and Carmelita had to practice dancing for the middle guard.

At the left side of the city, Murray and Dimitri looked down from the rooftops at the hippo guard protecting the building they needed to look in for Slytunkhamen. The guard looked drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep.  
Murray jumped down and walked over to the guard while Dimitri jumped down to hide inside a vase, waiting for his moment to enter the building.

When the hippo noticed Murray walking up, he assumed Murray was a normal guard and wiped the drowsiness from his eyes.  
"It is ok." Murray told him. "I am here to relieve you of your duty for a while."  
The guard sighed long and deep with relief. "Oh, thank you. I have been patrolling this building for hours. I can barely keep myself awake."  
"I understand." Murray said sympathetically. "But you can leave now and get some rest."  
"Ok. Thank you, once again." the guard said as he walked away to get himself rested up.

Dimitri peaked up from inside the vase, watching the guard leave and waiting for him to be completely out of sight before he jumped out to check the building.

But in order to make his intrusion as inconspicuous as possible, he climbed up to the rooftops again before jumping over to the building Murray was now guarding. Once one the roof, Dimitri opened a window and jumped inside.

The inside of the building was dark and dusty, and there were a few noticeable spider webs that had formed on the corners of the room.  
"Hello...? Slytunkhamen...? Are you here...?" Dimitri asked, soft enough to not alert outside guards, but loud enough to be heard. "I've come to help you..."

But nothing.

Dimitri continued to look around, hoping to find someone. But the limited lighting and the clutter of stuff made it hard.

"Bentley? Do you read me?" Dimitri asked into the binocucom.  
"I read you." Bentley replied. "Any luck finding Slytunkhamen?"  
"No dice." Dimitri said with an annoyed growl. "There is not a trace of him in here."  
"Rats!" Bentley yelled, making Dimitri jump a bit. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."  
"It's cool, bro." Dimitri assured him with a short laugh. "Anyways, I'll return to the safe-house now."  
"Ok. See you in a bit." Bentley said as he and Dimitri closed communications.

As he put the binocucom away, he made his way towards the window he came in from. But he immediately stopped when a knife just barely grazed the tip of his face. Dimitri's eyes became as wide as dinner plates. He slowly began to turn his head towards the direction the knife came from, and coming out of the shadows and into what little light shown through a window was a female cat with black fur and golden-yellow eyes. She had her hair in a bob-cut, but there were two braids on the front that hung down and had a gold bands on the end. She wore a gold necklace with a ruby in the center, a white tube-top, gold bracers, a white cloth skirt that reached mid-thigh, and sandals.

"Who are you?" she asked as she pulled out another knife, holding it in a reverse grip.  
"Chill cat." Dimitri said, hesitating to take his cane out. "I am not here to harm you."  
"For your sake, I hope so." a deep, growling voice said. Once again, Dimitri's eyes went wide and he turned his head to see a large crocodile with dark gray scales and a pale golden-yellow underbelly. He wore gold and black armor, and carried an ax that was the same color and had a similar pattern on the blade as his armor and necklace.  
"It's true. I'm here in need of help." Dimitri said nervously. The crocodile growled as he stared Dimitri down, his dark brown eyes boring into his reddish-brown eyes like a drill. "I am looking for Slytunkhamen. Do you know him?"  
"We work with him." the cat said. "But why should we trust you?"  
"Listen, I am not with the enemy. I mean, look." Dimitri said as he walked into the light. "You think any of those guards out there dress like this?" he gestured to his clothes.

The cat and the crocodile took note of his clothes and began to exchange a few words together. Dimitri tried to listen in, but they were speaking in Egyptian, so he could not understand them one bit. But given their tone, it sounded good.

"Are you, in any way, related to Sly?" the cat asked.  
"I do know him." Dimitri said. "Do you know where he is?"  
"I am afraid not, but we will help you find him." the cat said. "I am sorry for the inconvenience."  
"Eh, it's cool." Dimitri assured. "I'm Dimitri, by the way."  
"My name is Layla." the cat said.  
"And I am Lok'Nah." the crocodile said with a bow.  
"Pleasure to meet you both." Dimitri said. "Now, I say we get out of here now."  
"Agreed." Layla said.  
"We shall charge the door." Lok'Nah said. "Meanwhile, you leave the way you came in. Understand?"  
"You got it, baby!" Dimitri said as he jumped up the window and left the building. But once he got outside, he hid behind part of the building to avoid being spotted.

And as for the cat and crocodile, they charged the door, busting it down and sending Murray flying forward a few feet. The two immediately took off for the cave to join Imhotep. Murray lifted his head up out of the sand and shook his face while spitting out sand.  
 _"Oh… how am I gonna explain that?"_ he thought.

But Murray continued to guard the building until nightfall when the guard from earlier came back.  
"I take it they escaped?" he asked.  
"I'm afraid so." Murray said.  
"Well, do not worry. I grew tired of guarding that building, and I do not care for our pharaoh, to be honest with you." the guard said.  
"Not a very good guy, huh?" Murray questioned.  
"You could say that." the guard replied. "Anyways, you better be getting home. It's night now. The special patrol guards we have take over at night."  
"Patrol guards?" Murray asked. The guard nodded his head and pointed upwards. Murray did and saw a hawk with a special necklace flying overhead.  
"They patrol the streets at night. They serve this… strange bird. I have never seen a bird quite like it. It is so big, I am about the same size as its HEAD."  
Murray shuddered. "Sounds terrifying."  
"He is." the guard confirmed. "He can turn his head almost all the way around, and his eyes… oh, those eyes. Red as blood, and they burn like a fire. And that screech of his… indescribable."  
Murray began to shudder as several past, painful memories flooded his mind. The bird that the guard described sounded very similar to an owl.  
The guard took notice of his reaction. "Are you ok?"  
"Huh? Oh… yeah, I'm fine." Murray said. "...Well… good night."  
"Good night." the guard said before he and Murray went their separate ways.

As Murray walked back to the cave, he started thinking about the bird that the guard talked about. The owl described sounded like Clockwerk. Could it be possibly BE Clockwerk before he became the cyber monster he was before he was finally stopped? Murray did not know, and it scared him to think that. Nevertheless, he was not going to let that get to him and he continued onward to the safe-house to rest up for the next phase.

 *** And now, I finally got the next chapter up. How was it? Let me know if you want to, and expect more to come.  
And fear not; though I am slow to post, I will still finish my chapter stories.  
** **God bless, and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6: Third Time's the Charm

*** Carmelita's P.O.V. ***

With two buildings down, and only one more to go, we're getting closer to finding Sly. While our first two attempts haven't gone as well as we'd hoped, we ended up getting three more allies to help us out. And on top of that, my belly dancing has gotten a lot better. I know I hated doing it when we were back in Ancient Arabia, but to get Sly back, I'll do whatever it takes. But something doesn't sit right with me. When Murray came back, he told us about the strange bird the guard described. It sounded a bit like Clockwerk, given the size and description. I mean, it's possible; in reading the Thievius Raccoonus, I noticed Clockwerk in some of the pictures of Sly's ancestors. But I thought he was a robot… or is he a cyborg? Either way, he's not someone to take lightly. Perhaps it may be him before he made himself into the metallic monster we know him as. Well, whatever the case may be, I can't let that be the only thing on my mind. I have to get Sly back.

 *** Normal P.O.V. ***

But when everyone gathered near the middle building, Bentley noticed a large valve on the door, similar to the one they encountered in Ancient Arabia. **  
**  
With only the building in the center of the city left, Bentley decided to not waste time drawing up a plan, as it was obvious at this point. While Carmelita danced for the guards and distracted them, Bentley, Murray, Dimitri, and Slytunkhamen's crew-mates would try to open the door and try to find Slytunkhamen. If anyone knows where Sly could be, chances are it is him. With any luck, they'll be together, and this mission can finally be wrapped up. But at the moment, it is too early to say for certain.

Everyone, save for Carmelita, met on top of a building overlooking the one they needed to get into. Carmelita was still getting into her dancing attire. Their plan was to break into the building while Carmelita distracts the guards. And with six people working on the door, surely they could get it open quick enough to get in, look for Slytunkhamen and/or Sly, and get out. All that was left now was to wait for Carmelita to show up. The tension was building.

"When will she be ready?" Lok'Nah asked impatiently.  
"She shouldn't take long." Bentley assured the crocodile. "She's done this before."  
"Is that so?" Imhotep questioned as he crossed his arms.  
"You got that right." Murray said. "She even managed to distract Sly for a while at one point. And when he's on a job, his mind is sharp. So if she can distract HIM, surely she can distract those guards. Especially that hippo."  
"For you're sake… I hope so." Layla said, looking over at Murray.

Down below, Carmelita was walking up, now clad in her dancing attire. Both Imhotep and Lok'Nah were distracted by her, and Imhotep even got a slap via Layla. "Focus." she hissed sharply at him. Carmelita walked up to some nearby musicians and bribed them to play some music for her to dance to. After that, she walked up to the fountain and began to dance. The hippo looked over at her and was immediately entranced. He had never seen a dancer look or move like she did. The shake and shimmy of her hips, and the fluid undulation of her body left the guard in a trance. And he was not the only one either; several other guards saw Carmelita dancing and gathered to watch her as well.

"They're distracted. Now's our chance!" Bentley said as he, Murray, and Dimitri jumped down and rushed to the building. Since it was like the one in Ancient Arabia, they knew it would take a group effort to open the door. And sure enough, they were right; the valve was very tough to turn. Murray and Dimitri tried with all their might, but could barely budge it. The arms on Bentley's wheelchair did not help out much at all. However, thankfully no one was paying attention to them. Bentley would occasionally look back to make sure the guards did not notice them. He also noticed that Carmelita had improved immensely. Along with that, her movements were more fluid and graceful, rather than awkward and stiff.

"It seems that they need help." Imhotep said. "Come on." Imhotep jumped down and rushed to help the others. Lok'Nah jumped down as well, leaving Layla on the rooftop to keep watch. Bentley and Dimitri moved over so that Lok'Nah could get in and help out. With his and Murray's combined efforts, the valve was moving more. Dimitri decided to try something and jumped onto Murray's shoulders, pulling the valve as a handle came his way, aiding them more. Imhotep watched him and noticed how his plan was helping out, so he decided to do the same, jumping up on Lok'Nah's shoulders and pulling a valve handle. Thanks to all four of their combined efforts, the valve was moving a lot faster. And to top it off, they were almost done opening the door, and Carmelita looked as if she was just getting started. Things were looking good.

"Almost there..." Murray said.

On the rooftop, Layla noticed a few extra guards coming up. She feared that the boys will get spotted. And her fear was confirmed when one of the guards, a falcon, caught the guys and was about to let the others know. But then he caught notice of Carmelita dancing and completely ignored the guys still trying to open the door. Layla sighed in relief as the guards went to watch Carmelita. "That was too close."

Finally, the men managed to open the door. And even better, the door opened with a loud creak, and the guards STILL did not react. Bentley looked back and smirked. "Heh… suckers." he muttered as he and the others walked inside. They split up to increase their chances of finding Sly.

"Any luck?" Bentley asked.  
"Nothing. You?" Murray said.  
"No." Bentley said.  
"I cannot find him either." Imhotep said.  
"He must be invisible." Lok'Nah said. "He's known for doing that."  
"But I cannot feel his presence." Imhotep said. "Where could he be?"

The five continued to look for Slytunkhamen. But things were not looking good for them; Carmelita was almost done, and they have not found a trace of Slytunkhamen.

But luck did seem to change when Dimitri noticed some new, fresh foot-prints. "Hey guys! Come here!" he called out. "These foot-prints are fresh!" Imhotep looked at them and crouched down to examine them up close. He traced his index and middle finger, getting up some built up sand and bringing it up to his nose. He sniffed it and licked the sand before spitting it back out. He grinned.  
"He was here." he said. "When we opened the door, he most likely sneaked out."  
"But… where will he go now?" Bentley asked.  
"… I know not." Imhotep admitted. "But it is unlikely that the guards will catch him. We shall continue to look for him until nightfall. Those bird guards will be hard to avoid."  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Murray said. "But now, we gotta go."  
"Right. Come on!" Bentley said as he, Murray, Dimitri, and the others slipped away from the building and the guards. Layla saw them leave and joined them.

Finally, Carmelita was done, and ended her dance with a pose, a wink, and a smile. The guards applauded her. Carmelita bowed to them and walked away, swaying her hips hypnotically, still in character and still trying to distract them.

But once she was gone and out of eyesight, the guards became serious again and resumed work. But the hippo guard was shocked and angered when he noticed the door to the building was wide open, and saw several foot-prints going out in several directions. The hippo growled in anger. "Now he is loose again, and it will be nigh impossible to find him… as well as the ones who helped him escape. Everyone! Spread out!"  
"Yes sir!" a falcon guard said.

The boys and Layla barely made it back to the cave before the guards spread out in search of them. Carmelita, thankfully, would not have to worry about the guards getting her. After her performance, and seeing that she really impressed those other guards, Carmelita feels she essentially bought herself an immunity. Nevertheless, she was not going to push her luck. Still, she casually walked back to the cave, yet making sure that no one was following her.

So until nightfall, Dimitri and Layla scoped the city out, trying to find Slytunkhamen. But because he could render himself invisible, neither could even find a trace of him. No scent, no patch of fur, no foot-prints, nothing. And having to avoid the guards only made things harder, especially since they were far more mobile this time around. _"We should have closed that door..."_ Dimitri thought.

Once nightfall set in, everyone, save for Carmelita, left the streets and went home. The city was now almost completely abandoned and dead. It was also so quiet, one would be able to hear the sound of a pin dropping. But this also gave Carmelita a big advantage, since she did not have to worry about a ton of guards looking for her.

But she failed to take one thing into consideration; the mysterious bird's henchmen.

The caw and screeches of birds broke the silence and echoed throughout the city, announcing their arrival. Carmelita gasped and hid as close to a wall as she could, trying to keep as much of herself in the shadows. "Shoot, I forgot about them..." she muttered under her breath. "Ok, I can't let them see me."

But she quickly learned that hiding in the shadows may not be enough; the birds had a special light on them that functioned like a spotlight. That meant she had to be extra careful, since there would most likely be points where shadows may not work. So as quietly as she could, Carmelita roamed the city, looking for Slytunkhamen's whereabouts. And if she instead found Sly, that would be awesome as well.

 _"Where are you, ringtail? ...Or Sly?"_ Carmelita asked herself. _"_ _I wish this never had happened. Sly shouldn't have to endure this. He should be back home with his teammates. He should be back home with me… Oh, please be safe. When I find him, I'm gonna slap him for leaving us like this, but then I'll kiss him breathless, telling him how much I missed him and that I love him."_

But as Carmelita was thinking, she did not realize she had walked into a spotlight. But she figured it out very quickly when she heard a loud screech above her. Carmelita jerked her head up and saw a falcon about to nose-dive her. She quickly ducked out of the way, narrowly dodging the bird. The falcon flew up and perched on a nearby building, screeching loudly and alerting other birds. "Oh no!" she yelled as she took off running as fast as she could. Up above, falcons and hawks were swarming to her, ready to strike. Carmelita, by this point, was panicking; she did not have her shock pistol, or her hooks. And without those, she could not defend herself. All she could do was run and pray that they don't catch her.

The birds chased Carmelita all throughout the city, still unable to catch her. But Carmelita was tiring out, and they were getting closer and closer to catching her. Until eventually, Carmelita was chased into an alley. The hawks and the falcons were closing in, and Carmelita was now too tired and wore out to fight back. She just leaned against the wall and sunk to the ground, closing her eyes as she awaited her inevitable fate.

But oddly… it never came.

The hawks and the falcons had their attentions redirected to something, or someONE, else. Carmelita opened her eyes and noticed that the birds were no longer there. _"Huh? Where did they go?"_ she wondered. Carmelita got up as best as she could and walked towards the cave to rest up, given that she no longer had to worry about the birds chasing her down. But like before, she still made sure to be extra careful, since she did not want to alert any more of them.

About halfway through, Carmelita collapsed. Running from the birds took a lot out of her. Especially since the falcons were very fast, and using the techniques Sly's ancestors have used for centuries required a lot more stamina and finesse than she had originally thought. And that is not even considering the fact she performed a lengthy belly dance to distract the guards.

However, as she tried to get back up, she felt a set of arms scoop her up and carry her. She opened her eyes and saw a gray blur. She rubbed her eyes, silently praying that it was Sly. However, it was not him; but rather his ancestor, Slytunkhamen!

"...You… I've been looking for you." Carmelita said weakly. "We've found your teammates. Their back at our safe-house."  
"Is that so?" Slytunkhamen asked, his voice calm. "Who, may I ask, are you?"  
"My name is Carmelita. We are looking for Sly. Have you seen him?" Carmelita said. Slytunkhamen's ears drooped down and his eyes seemed to hold disappointment in them.  
"Carmelita… I am afraid… Sly has been captured." Slytunkhamen informed her.

Carmelita covered her mouth in shock. Sly… captured?! Sly was next to impossible to catch, and she has only known two instances where Sly was actually caught. The first time he was caught in the Old West was intentional on his part; he had to get to Tennessee Kid Cooper to break him out of jail. But who caught him?

"He was caught? How?! And who caught him?!" Carmelita asked, desperate for an answer.  
"It was one of the birds that was chasing you earlier." Slytunkhamen said. "So if we can find where they come from, then we can surely find him. I know how much you miss him; he has told me about a woman he missed dearly. And I see that you must be that woman."  
"I am… I want him back… actually, scratch that, I NEED him back." Carmelita said. "I'll do anything to get him back home with me and his teammates. And you've actually given me an idea."  
"I did? How so?" Slytunkhamen questioned curiously.  
"I'll have Bentley shoot a tracker onto one of the birds. That way, we can track the bird's movements, and figure out where they're all coming from. And from there, we'll plan as we go." Carmelita explained. "But first, we need to get back to the cave."  
"Indeed. And I know where this cave is. So hold on tight." Slytunkhamen said. Carmelita nodded her head as she held on to Slytunkhamen tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him.

 *** Carmelita's P.O.V. ***

Well, this was not what I was hoping, OR expecting. Sly's been captured! How could that have happened?! I mean… it's just so… unbelievable! However, that makes this mission far more important than ever before. And since we know that those bird guards got him, we'll place a tracker on one of them, then we can figure out from there where they're keeping Sly. And with Slytunkhamen on our side, things should hopefully go a bit smoother. But whether or not that holds true is another question entirely.

 ***Next chapter is down!  
How was it? Was it worth the long wait?  
I'm sorry for not posting another chapter for so long. But life is very hectic for me at the moment. I'll TRY not to take so long next time… I ain't making any promises. Still, thanks for sticking with me, and I DO intend to finish the story.  
So until next time, I'll see ya around. This is Foxboy614, signing off. God bless, and have a great day!**


	7. Chapter 7: Tracking a Bird

Well, this was not what Carmelita, or the boys, were expecting. Sly was captured! Whoever was behind his capture must be smart; Sly is not one for getting caught so easily. But this also served to make the mission that much more important. There is no telling how long Sly has been captured, but to the team, that did not matter. What mattered was finding and freeing Sly. No matter what the cost may be.

Fortunately, since the team learned that Sly was captured by those night-patrol birds, all they had to do now was find out where they return to each night when the dawn returns. And Bentley already formulated a plan to figure that out. But in order to do so, it would have to wait until night, when they would be out and about.

At sundown, Bentley gathered the team to explain their next course of action. "Ok gang. Here's the situation. We know Sly has been captured by those night-patrol birds, but not where they took him. So, all we need to do is plant a tracking device on just ONE of them. Once we do that, we'll know where they took him, and we'll go on from there."  
"But how are you going to do that?" Slytunkhamen asked.  
"I'll shoot a special tracking device on one of them with one of my darts." Bentley said. "I've done this many times before. It's pretty easy and straight-forward."  
"...Well… I guess so..." Slytunkhamen said, still feeling a bit uncertain.  
"I understand that this may confuse you, but don't worry; it will work." Bentley assured Sly's Egyptian ancestor. "So, at night, when they're out and about, I'll shoot one, and we'll go from there."  
"Good idea. Those guards will be on high alert, now that they know I have escaped." Slytunkhamen said.

So now, all that was left to do was to wait for night to come, so they could carry out their plan.

 *** Time skip...***

Finally, it was night time, and the patrol birds were now out and flying. Given that he was in a wheelchair, Bentley had to make sure to make as little sound as he could, and be quick. For if a falcon spotted him, he would be in a very bad position to flee. But Bentley also knew he had to find a good spot to lie and wait for a good shot. He decided against going on the rooftops, as it would leave him far more vulnerable and easier to be spotted by the birds. So he decided to stay on the ground and in the shadows. This presented Bentley with another problem; sticking to the shadows often left him with a lack of good spots to shoot from. _"_ _This is gonna be tougher than I thought..."_

So Bentley made his way through the city to find a good spot to shoot at a bird. But there were so many birds in the air, and so many spotlights to dodge, AND too few spots to get a good shot from, it was next to impossible. Bentley hid in between some nearby pots and took out his binocucom, hoping to call for someone to help him out with his sticky situation.

"Carmelita… we have a problem..." Bentley whispered.  
"What is it?" Carmelita asked.  
"I can't get a good shot. There's too little to work with, and there are patrol birds everywhere!" Bentley whispered harshly.  
"Well… sit tight. I'm sure we can come up with something..." Carmelita said.  
"I hope so..." Bentley said with uncertainty before closing communications.

At the base, Carmelita was starting to pace the room. Neither her or Bentley were expecting this type of road-block. What could they do?

"Is something wrong?" Slytunkhamen asked, showing concern for Carmelita.  
"Oh… we just encountered a new roadblock." Carmelita replied. Slytunkhamen raised an eyebrow in confusion at her statement. Carmelita realized that Slytunkhamen may not know what "roadblock" means, so she properly explained what she meant. "Things got a bit more difficult."  
"Oh, I see." Slytunkhamen said, now understanding her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"  
"Unless you know how to shoot a gun, I don't think so." Carmelita admitted with a sigh. She dropped down on a chair with a huff, resting her head on her hands and sighing.

The room was silent now.

However, the silence was broken when Carmelita heard someone rummaging through someone's stuff. Carmelita turned her head and saw Layla digging around in her bag, taking stuff out. Carmelita bolted up in anger. "Hey! Get out of my stuff!" she yelled. Layla shot her head up and saw a very mad Carmelita storming over to her. Layla knew she was mad and dashed away. "Yeah, you better run." Carmelita said before picking up her stuff and putting it back in her bag.

"You have such strange things." Layla said. Carmlita looked at her with an annoyed expression.  
"Anything from my time would seem weird to you." she said.  
"I would believe that. Especially this cuff." Layla said. Carmelita walked over to see what she was talking about. The cuff was a bit small, it was dark gray and had a red and green bulb, and it was unclipped.  
"That's a special cuff I use on certain criminals if they get probation. I put this on them so I can keep track of them and make sure they're behaving." Carmelita explained.  
"What's probation?" Layla asked.  
"Basically, they're set free if they're good, but they still need supervision." Carmelita said, trying to make it as simple as she can for Layla.

And like lightning, it hit her; the cuff!  
The team could use the cuff to find where the birds retreat to every morning!

"Hang on… that's it!" Carmelita exclaimed excitedly. "We'll use the cuff! I gotta call Bentley!"

 *** Meanwhile ***

Bentley was STILL struggling to get a good location. At this point, he was growing more and more frustrated. "Grr… this is getting hopeless..."

"Bentley! Good news!" Carmelita chimed in on his communicator. "I know how we can track one of the birds!"  
"Really? How so?" Bentley asked. "Is it any better than what I'M trying?"  
"FAR better." Carmelita said. Though he could not see her, Bentley could tell she was happy about it. "Layla was rummaging through my stuff, and I accidentally left a special cuff in my bag. With it, we can place it on a bird, and we can use your computer to track it."  
"Perfect!" Bentley said, louder than he intended. He locked up and retreated into his shell, fearing he alerted a patrol bird. After a few seconds, nothing happened and he got out of his shell. "But, how are we gonna put it on one?"  
"We'll have Slytunkhamen do it." Carmelita said. "He can go invisible, right?"  
"Yes he can." Bentley replied.  
"So, we'll have him sneak around the city, find a bird, and slap the cuff on it." Carmelita said.  
"That sounds like a really good plan. Luck must be on our side, huh?" Bentley stated.  
"It would seem so." Carmelita replied. "So return to base, and we'll have Slytunkhamen handle things from here."  
"Got it." Bentley said before closing communications.

"Ok. So, NOW I have a job for you Slytunkhamen." Carmelita said.  
"I heard what you were saying a while ago." Slytunkhamen said. "But, who were you talking to?"  
"I have a device in my ear that lets me communicate with Bentley." Carmelita explained. "So you know what to do?"  
"Just put the cuff on a bird's ankle?" Slytunkhamen questioned to make sure.  
"Yep." Carmelita told him. "And don't worry. After you do that, we'll handle the rest."  
"Ok. I'll need to cuff." Slytunkhamen said. "Layla. The cuff, please." he told Layla. Layla got up from her spot and gave it to him. "Thank you. Now, here I go." he said before leaving.

Slytunkhamen made sure to be as quiet and as quick as possible. Unlike Bentley, Slytunkhamen did not have to solely stick to the shadows, as he could go invisible at will. And during the periods of invisibility, he would look up to the sky, watching the patrol birds flying overhead, and trying to figure out a way to slap the cuff on one. _"I figure I will wait for one to perch and rest itself. I know they tend to rest on the statue of Anubis at the temple. So I will lie and wait close to it,_ _and once a bird comes to roost, I shall put the cuff on it. This shall also give me the perfect opportunity to use my Shadow Dash technique."_ he thought. And thankfully, the temple was not too far away from his current location.

While he made his way to the city, Slytunkhamen noticed Bentley rolling past him. "Good luck." Bentley said.  
"Thank you." Slytunkhamen said in response.

Finally, Slytunkhamen saw the temple, and to his luck, a lone hawk was beginning to roost on the Anubis statue. He knew he had to act quick, since he knew it would not stay there for very long. So, wasting no time, Slytunkhamen used his Shadow Dash technique, where he dashed forward quickly while still invisible. He clung to the side of the statue so that no bird would see him. _"Here we go… I have to be quick..."_ he thought. So, as quietly as possible, he climbed the statue until he was within arm's reach of the hawk. And as quick as a flash, Slytunkhamen slapped the cuff on its ankle, all without being noticed. And just in time too; the hawk was done roosting and flew away. Slytunkhamen smiled in achievement and went back to the base.

Slytunkhamen eventually returned to the base to tell the team the good news. "It has been done."  
"Excellent!" Bentley cheered. "Now, we just need to wait until dawn, when the birds return to their base."  
"Sounds like a plan." Murray said.

And so they waited… and waited… and waited…

But in waiting for so long, they all fell asleep, save for Layla, who had been napping beforehand.

And in the end, it paid off; at dawn, Layla was looking at the screen, fascinated at the new technology. And there was a red dot at a spot on the map on the screen. However, since she did not know what any of it all meant. So she went and woke up Bentley. "Bentley. Wake up!" she hissed. Bentley stirred in his shell and woke up.  
"What?" he said, slightly annoyed.  
"There's a red dot on the screen. While you were asleep, it was moving all around the map, and it has now stopped on one spot." Layla explained.  
"That's to signify the cuff." Bentley said, rolling his wheelchair over to the screen. Once he saw where it had stopped at, he was now wide awake.

"It's at the palace?!" Bentley exclaimed.  
"They took him to the palace?!" Carmelita exclaimed, bolting up wide awake. And soon, everyone else was awake too. "Why would they take him there?!"  
"They must have taken him to the dungeon… or to their master." Slytunkhamen said.  
"You mean the giant bird?" Murray questioned.  
"Correct." Slytunkhamen confirmed. "And luckily, I know of a safe way to get inside the palace; there is a secret passageway that leads from the temple to the palace. Priests would use it to escape from cutthroats and assassins, to seek refuge with the pharaoh. But once our WONDERFUL pharaoh took over." Slytunkhamen said, his tone getting annoyed and a bit mad. Apparently the current pharaoh is not very liked. "They sealed the passage off. However, Lok'Nah broke it down, and we can safely traverse from the temple to the palace once again."  
"However, I fear that the rest of you can not follow us down there." Imhotep said.  
"But how will we get inside the palace?" Dimitri asked.

There was a brief moment of silence in the room. While the Cooper Gang was questioning why they could not follow Slytunkhamen and his crew down in the secret passage, it did start to make more sense after a while; the less that use it to get in, the less likely they are to get caught. But with that being said, there was still the issue of getting inside without anyone suspecting anything.

But then Carmelita had a brilliant idea.

"Guys! My belly dancing! I'll pass off that I'm a traveling dancer, here to entertain the pharaoh. The guards loved my performance the last time, so I bet they'd let me in the palace. And while I'm in there, Slytunkhamen can sneak in, go into the dungeon, and find Sly. Also, I'd be providing the team with inside information."

"You know… that could possibly work!" Slytunkhamen said.  
"Well, only one way to find out." Bentley said. "We'll have to book Carmelita a gig inside the palace!"  
"Greasy sweet, baby!" Dimitri exclaimed, earning a bunch of odd glances from the others, save for the Cooper Gang and Carmelita, who are used to his strange sayings.

This mission just kept getting more and more interesting.

 *** This chapter is finally out!  
I am DEEPLY sorry for the long delays. I've just been real busy with life and crap. I don't know when the next chapter will be released, but don't give up on me. Thank you to those still reading and holding on for new chapters. I will aim to finish this as soon as I can. But I will still put a lot of time and effort into the story.  
Anyways, let me know what you thought, and I'll see you next time. God bless, and have a great day!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Hunt Begins

*** Carmelita's P.O.V. ***

Ok, it seems that we're definitely getting somewhere this time. We've tagged a bird, and now we know where they head back to every day at dawn. And now that we have that information, it's time to act on it. We're all in agreement that I'll masquerade as a traveling dancer to entertain the pharaoh, and that Slytunkhamen will sneak in through the secret passageway from the temple to the palace. Bentley said he'd stay behind in the base with Layla, Imhotep, and Lok'Nah. So that still leaves the question of what we'll do with Murray and Dimitri.

Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out.

 *** Normal P.O.V. ***

The next day, Bentley gathered everyone to go over the plan that he and Carmelita had come up with. "OK everyone. Here's the plan; Carmelita will pose as a traveling dancer, come to entertain the pharaoh. And Murray, since he still has the guard's gear, will take her to the palace. Meanwhile, Slytunkhamen will take the secret passageway from the temple to the palace. Once he gets inside, he'll need to locate the dungeon and find Sly's cell. Once that's done, we just need to get Sly out of the palace without anyone suspecting anything." Bentley explained.  
"What about me?" Dimitri asked.  
"How well are you with entertaining people?" Bentley asked.  
"I've learned a few juggling tricks." Dimitri replied. "And of course, dancing."  
"Perfect! You'll go with Carmelita. We could use an extra insider." Bentley said.  
"Sounds good to me Bentley-baby!" Dimitri said excitedly.

"Now Slytunkhamen, do you know where the dungeons are?" Bentley asked, turning his attention towards Sly's Egyptian ancestor.  
"I do." Slytunkhamen replied. "I have done this several times before. I know what to do."  
"OK. So we all know what our job is?" Bentley asked, wanting to be absolutely clear.  
"Yes sir!" they all replied in unison.  
"Well, let's not waste any more time. Let's get to it!" Bentley ordered. Everyone nodded and headed out.

 *** In the city ***

Carmelita and Murray, each in their respective disguises, were walking through the city, trying to find the guard that Carmelita danced for the day before. "You nervous?" Murray asked, noticing that Carmelita was fidgeting a bit.  
"A little." she replied. "Every time we think we're about to find Sly, it comes up fruitless."  
"Well, not completely; we still found Slytunkhamen and his team." Murray pointed out.  
"I know, but… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to exclude them." Carmelita said, feeling bad for the unfortunate implication from her previous statement. "I just really want Sly back."  
"I know you do. I do too." Murray said. "We all do. But we can't give up."  
"I never said I would give up. I'm going to keep looking for him until I find him. Even if it kills me." Carmelita told him. Murray grinned and wrapped one arm around her, hugging her tightly.  
"That's my girl!" he exclaimed proudly. Carmelita giggled.

The two were so busy talking that they did not realize they were where they needed to be. They only figured it out when a gruff voice called out to them, and when they realized they were about to leave the area. Carmelita and Murray turn around and see the hippo guard. "Where are you two going?"  
"Oh! Uh, w-w-we were looking for you to ask you a big favor." Carmelita replied. "Is that correct, Murah?" she asked, jabbing Murray in the belly. Murray looked down at her and noticed her mouthing "play along" to him.  
"Oh! Yes! That is correct." Murray replied.  
"Ok… what is it?" the guard asked, crossing his arms.  
"I am a traveling dancer from the land of Arabia." Carmelita replied. "I have traveled many miles to perform for the pharaoh. But I needed an audience with you first before I tried to talk to him."

Carmelita kept a calm face, but her knees were wobbling and her heart was racing. The hippo was eying her suspiciously and scratching his chin. She was convinced he did not buy her story. But her fear disappeared when the hippo cracked a smile and began to chuckle. "Oh, I think the pharaoh will love you."  
"You do? Why do you say that?" Carmelita asked.  
"Because he requested an audience with you. After I told him of what happened, he wanted to see for himself if your dancing was as impressive as it sounded." the guard replied. "He remarked that if your dancing was enough to hold our attention and distract us from our job, then he would have to witness it with his own eyes."  
"Is that so?" Carmelita asked, placing her hands on her hips and smiling.  
"Indeed." the guard replied before turning around. "Come. I will take you to the palace."  
"Okay." Carmelita said.

So now the guard was taking Carmelita and Murray to the palace. Carmelita placed two fingers up to her right ear. "Okay Slytunkhamen. We're heading over to the palace now. Where are you?" she whispered.

 *** In the secret passageway ***

Slytunkhamen was trekking through the dark hallway, holding a torch in front of him for light with one hand and holding one of his hooks in the other to swat at any scorpion or serpent that may try to attack him. In addition to the darkness, cobwebs hung from the walls like curtains, and sand covered most of the stone floor. The hall had definitely seen better days. "I'm in the passageway, heading to the palace now, same as you. But this is ridiculous; how are there so many spiderwebs? Was it closed off for that long?" he began to say to himself.  
"Focus!" Carmelita harshly whispered. "Where does the passageway lead to?"  
"There's a special chamber that the pharaoh comes to so he can pray." Slytunkhamen said. "The passageway will take me right behind the statue of Ra. And thankfully, I know where the dungeon is from the chamber."  
"Ok. Check every inch of that dungeon." Carmelita whispered.  
"I will do my best." Slytunkhamen replied.

 *** Back on the surface ***

The guard was now walking Carmelita and Murray up the stairs to enter the palace, where they were greeted by the pharaoh himself. He was a tall falcon, standing about seven feet tall, and having a muscular and humanoid build. His body was covered in brown-orange feathers, his beak and the bottom half of his legs were golden yellow, and he had brown eyes. He wore a red and yellow headdress, a gold and red necklace, gold gauntlets, a red sash, a white garment that covers his lower half and stops above his knees, and gold anklets. He was standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Here is the dancer I told you about sir." the guard said, moving out of Carmelita's way. Carmelita bowed to the pharaoh respectfully, despite knowing how bad he was. The falcon leered at her, looking her up and down. He seemed a bit on the fence about her.  
"So you're a dancer, huh?" he asked her. Carmelita nodded.  
"From Arabia, yes sir." she said. The falcon leered in closer at her.  
"Arabia? I am not quite familiar with that kingdom." he said. Carmelita felt her fear return to her again. She did not take this into consideration. Did Arabia even EXIST at this period in history? But when she saw his eye shift downward to the right and grin, her fear began to dwindle. "Of course, I have not been out of Egypt in so long."  
"Well… it is pretty far away." Carmelita said.  
"I suppose so." he said. "Anyways, allow me to introduce myself. I am Setis. And who are you?"  
"I am Carmeya." Carmelita replied, bowing again. Setis smiled. "I wish to perform for you and your court."  
"Well, I welcome you here with open arms." Setis told her, leading her and Murray inside the palace.

 *** Inside the palace ***

While Carmelita and Murray were talking to Setis, Slytunkhamen was already inside the palace, keeping out of sight and in the shadows to avoid being seen. But he knew Setis would return shortly, so he had to act fast and get to the dungeon.

And after a few seconds, Slytunkhamen began to hear footsteps approaching. He knew someone was coming, so he used his Shadow Dash technique and merged with the shadow of a nearby vase. Peering from the darkness, he saw Setis walking along with Carmelita and Murray. He continued to watch them leave until they were out of sight, then he emerged from the shadow and resumed his advance towards the dungeon.

 *** Back with Setis, Camelita, Dimitri, and Murray ***

Setis was leading Carmelita and Murray through a long hallway on the far left side of the palace and up a few flights of stairs to a special chamber. Soon, he stopped before a wooden door and signaled for the guards to move aside and let him and his guests in. They moved as they were told and Setis opened the door, revealing a lovely room. It was rather spacy, had a luxurious bed and several colorful pillows and a beautiful blanket, and a balcony that gave one a beautiful view of the city. Carmelita was mighty impressed by the room. Most hotels she has stayed at don't have rooms quite like this.

"Here is where you shall stay until you are ready to depart from our city." Setis told her.  
"It is a magnificent room." Carmelita told him. "I think I will enjoy my stay here."  
"I do hope so. And later, I am having some guests over to the great hall, where there will be food, drink, and entertainment. And I would like for you to come and join us." Setis said.  
"I will do that." Carmelita replied. "After all, that is what I am here for." Setis smiled at her.  
"I thank you." he told her before leaving. "The party will be later on in the afternoon. So until then, I bid you farewell." he called out to her. Dimitri follwed him.  
"I will be there!" Carmelita called out to him before going inside her room.

 *** At the dungeon ***

Slytunkhamen made his way into the dungeon. The air was thick with the stench of death. The ground was covered with sand, spider webs, and bones. Slytunkhamen groaned. "I forgot how bad this accursed place smelled." he muttered. "Still, I must look for Sly." he added.

For what felt like hours, Slytunkhamen looked through each cell, trying to find a trace of Sly. But it would seem as if magic was at work; Sly was nowhere to be found. "Where is he?" he wondered out loud. As he stood there in thought, trying to think of where Sly could be, the sound of the prison door opening shook him from his thoughts and he immediately went invisible to avoid being spotted.

It was a lone vulture coming through. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath. Slytunkhamen tried to move in closer to get a better listen. And what he heard next surprised him.

"Oh… this is not good… if that owl found out that I let the raccoon escape..." he said, making Slytunkhamen gasp. The vulture looked up, looking around to try to find the source. But he saw nothing. "If he finds out, I am done for… Oh, what am I going to do? I guess I will have to tell him. Better to tell him and get it over with than to have him find out for himself, putting me in even more trouble."

Slytunkhamen could not believe his ears; Sly escaped! He had to get out and tell Carmelita. So, using his Shadow Sneak technique, he sneaked out and went to find Carmelita. But then he realized he had one big problem; he had no idea where she was! He decided to contact her and get her location. "Carmelita? Where are you?" he asked. But there was no reply. "Carmelita! Can you hear me?" he asked again, louder this time. Still, no response. Slytunkhamen sighed in an annoyed manner and went to look for her.

And like with the dungeon, Slytunkhamen spent what felt like hours looking for Carmelita's room. Still, he had no luck. And on top of that, there were several guards patrolling the place, so he could not even tell Bentley the news yet.

After having no luck searching on the right wing, he decided to go to the left and search. But the sound of a gong ringing throughout the palace scared Slytunkhamen, nearly making him scream in shock. Following the gong, he heard the sound of people walking up and getting closer. Slytunkhamen went invisible to avoid being spotted and went to find a better place to hide. But then it hit him; he managed to hear Carmelita talking to Setis, and he heard them mention a party being held in the great hall late in the afternoon. He looked over and saw the sky; it was about that time. The gong must be letting people know to gather at the hall. He figured he would tell Carmelita there. Or at the very least, Murray.

Hiding from behind a nearby vase, he waited for the last guard to pass before he followed behind him, silent as a shadow.

 *** At the great hall ***

Many people had already gathered at the great hall, ready for the celebration to begin. The pharaoh had invited royals and upper class people. Dancers, magicians, and various other performers had also showed up to perform for the event. Carmelita and Dimitri were among them, and both were nervous.

Slytunkhamen made his way through the crowd, looking for Carmelita. He found her and Shadow Sneaked over to her. He appeared behind her and tapped her shoulder. Carmelita looked over her shoulder at him. "Slytunkhamen? What are you doing here? Did you find Sly?"  
"No… and I imagine that the dungeon guard can't either; Sly is gone." Slytunkhamen whispered to her. Carmelita's eyes widened.  
"WHAT?!" she yelled out, causing everyone in the hall to look over at her in surprise. Slytunkhamen quickly took to the shadows to avoid being seen. Carmelita had to play this off and fast. "WHAT a magnificent turn-out this has been..." she said. Everyone nodded and talked to one another in agreement before resuming their original doings. Carmelita sighed in relief.  
"Psst." Slytunkhamen whispered. Carmelita looked around, but could not find him. "Down here." he added. Camelita raised her eyebrows in confusion before looking down at her shadow. "Next time, warn me before you shout like that."  
"Sorry..." Carmelita said sheepishly.

The celebration was about to begin before the palace doors swung open, revealing a large shadow. Everyone looked towards the source and gasped; it was a large and monstrous bird. Even from a distance, the bird looked big, and it continued to get bigger as it walked closer to the throne. Carmelita, Murray, and Dimitri gasped in fear. The mere description of the bird was frightening enough, but seeing it in personal was even more so.

It was a large owl with brown feathers, large broad wings, blood red eyes that burned like a fire, and razor-sharp talons. He continued to walk towards the throne. When he stood before Setis, he bowed down.  
"Ah, Aziir!" Setis said with pride. "It is a pleasure to see you again. I take it your hunt went well?"  
"It was." he replied. "But now, I tire. I need my sleep now."  
"I understand." Setis said. "Sleep well."  
"I shall." Aziir said. However, he did not get very far before the vulture came running up to him, telling him about how the prisoner had escaped. The owl glared at him. "YOU LET HIM ESCAPE?!"  
"B-B-But sir! I have no idea how he could have escaped." the vulture said. "I swear!" Aziir growled in annoyance.  
"Tell my troops. Tell them to double their numbers and tighten their search more than ever before. And tell the guards to tighten their search as well. That raccoon must not leave this city!" Aziir commanded.  
"Yes sir!" the vulture said, running away.

Aziir growled in annoyance and frustration. "I am surrounded by idiots, I swear..."  
"I am sure he will not be a big issue for you." Setis said. Aziir turned his head towards the pharaoh.  
"You do not know what this raccoon is capable of." he told him. "Now, I will be going to sleep. I will need my energy for tonight. Enjoy your celebration." he said before walking away.  
"Sleep well." Setis told him.

 *** Carmelita's P.O.V. ***

 **This mission just keeps throwing curve ball after curve ball. First, we learn that Sly was captured. Next, we learned he escaped!**  
 **I should have expected as much; Sly's always been a sneaky devil.**  
 **But now that they're going to have more guards and tighter security, things are going to get tougher this time around. But I'm determined to find Sly and bring him home. No matter the cost.**

 ***Again, sorry for the long delays. I don't mean to do this to you guys. Just hang on. If all goes well, I may be able to finish this with two more chapters. So until next time, take care. God bless, and have a good day!**


	9. Chapter 9: Finding Clues

Later on that night, Carmelita was letting everything that she heard run through her mind like a swarm of bees in a hive. Sly had escaped! She should have seen it coming; no prison has been able to contain him before. And those prisons were modern. So this one, thousands of years in the past, would be child's play. But now, where was he? She did not know, but she was determined to find him.  
 **  
 _* Time-skip *_**

The next night, Carmelita and Murray, as well as Dimitri, went around the palace, looking for a trace of Sly. Murray, thankfully, was able to get away with it, since he was posing as a guard. Knowing that, he essentially served as Carmelita and Dimitri's escort, allowing them more freedom to search for Sly. And while they looked inside the palace, Slytunkhamen and his team looked in the city for him. But ever since Aziir forced the pharaoh to tighten security, there were so many guards in both the palace and the city, it was nearly impossible to stay out of sight. Bentley himself was biting his nails down to the nubs, and then he gnawed on the nubs too! Needless to say, he was a nervous wreck. He could only imagine what the others out in the field were feeling.

And so, for what felt like hours, they searched. But neither could find even a trace of him. The many guards made it an issue getting around the place.

Eventually, they got tired and decided to turn in for the night. Neither wanted to do, but they were just too tired to continue on. Carmelita mentally beat herself up, feeling like she had given up. Even though she knew it was just one night, it still tore her up on the inside.

But sadly, this would not be the first night it would happen. For the next two nights, the hunt for Sly ended just as fruitless as the last. And on top of that, Carmelita was beginning to think the other guards were starting to get suspicious of her, Murray, and Dimitri. By now, Carmelita was beyond angry and frustrated.

"Darn that raccoon..." she muttered angrily. "First, you get captured. Next, you break out. And NOW, you don't even give us something to go on!"  
"Carmelita, relax." Dimitri told her. "I'm sure he's having a hard enough time keeping hidden himself."  
"I know that… but I just wish he left us something to go on, like a tuft of hair, or a footprint. You know?" Carmelita replied.  
"I know." Dimitri said. "I want to find him just as much as you. I miss him too."  
"I know you do… I know all of you do." Carmelita admitted. "It's just… I want him back so badly… He doesn't deserve to be here. He deserves to be back home with his team… with me..." she was beginning to tear up. Dimitri took notice and went to wipe it away.  
"I know it's hard… but we'll find him. I promise you." Dimitri said softly. Carmelita smiled and hugged him close.

 _ *** Meanwhile ***_

Murray was patrolling the great hall. He promised to take over for another guard and give him a break. Plus, if Sly were to escape, Murray wanted to be out where he could see him.

After the eighth or ninth round, Murray sank down next to a pillar to rest his feet. "Oh, boy… they don't call this the 'great hall' for nothing." he thought with a slight chuckle. He inhaled through his nose before exhaling through his mouth. But for a few moments afterwards, he paused. He began to sniff again; there was a peculiar scent in the air. "Wait a minute… that smell… I know that smell… let's see; wallets, leather, and money…" he thought aloud. He stood up and began to smell around the hall, trying to find the source of the smell. The more he went to the left side to smell for it, the scent got weaker. From that, he concluded that the scent was coming from somewhere on the right. He rushed back over, and fair enough, he was right; the scent was much stronger. And the closer he got to a potted plant, the stronger it got. Murray rushed over the plant and looked it from top to bottom and everywhere around it. "Hmm… I thought he was here." he thought sadly, hanging his head low.

And in doing that, he found the source of the scent. It was a blue hat. And not just any blue hat; it was SLY'S blue hat. Murray's eyes widened and he immediately pulled out his binocucom, so he could let Bentley see what he was seeing.

"Bentley! Do you see this?!" he asked in a hushed tone.  
"I do! That's Sly's hat!" Bentley exclaimed excitedly.  
"I picked up his scent coming from it… and _***sniff sniff***_ it's still fresh. Sly's been here recently." Murray said.  
"He may have already escaped and is in the city." Bentley said. However, Slytunkhamen overheard this and had to intervene.  
"I doubt it. Since it was discovered that he escaped, security is going to be tighter than ever before. Plus, the temple is very high up, and there are guards guarding every exit at night. And on top of that, there are the falcons and hawks patrolling the city." he pointed out.  
"I'm sure he's still hiding somewhere in the temple. But… where?" Bentley asked.  
"I don't know. But we're gonna find out." Murray said.  
"Ok. Be careful." Bentley said before closing communications.

So Murray put the hat away and contacted the others, telling them to head back to their rooms before someone sees them. They all agree and head back, as they were feeling tired anyways. However, the next morning, they woke up early to one of the guards. They were all very groggy and tired, most likely due to both the search last night and the guard waking them up so early. They were guided by the guard to the dining hall, where the pharaoh sat seated at one end of the table, eating some breakfast. "Ah, good morning, guests." he said. "Please, sit down and eat." They did so, grabbing some fruit and bread. "Sleep well?" he asked.  
"Sort of." Carmelita said. "It was a bit odd to adjust, but I managed." Carmelita said.  
"Me too." Dimitri said.  
"Very good." Setis said.  
"Thanks." Carmelita said. "Any luck on finding the raccoon?" she asked.  
"No. Not yet." Setis said. "Although, we did see some… figure roaming around the place. But before anyone can catch him, he was gone." he added. Carmelita and Dimitri look up in shock. Could that be Sly? "...Well, anyways… I do not wish to frighten you. My guards will catch him. Escaping this temple is impossible. And even if he DOES, the guards in the city will catch him."  
"I do hope so." Carmelita said. "Did he… happen to have any weapons?"  
"Well… now that you mention it… one of my guards did mention that he had a staff with a hook at the end." Setis said. Dimitri nearly choked on his bread when he heard that. It WAS Sly!

For the rest of the breakfast, they were relatively silent, not making much conversation. Carmelita and Dimitri made sure to not let on that they knew about Sly. Otherwise, they would ruin their cover.

That night, Carmelita and Dimitri resumed their hunt for Sly. But neither could find any trace of him, save for a few patches of fur. Carmelita decided to try a new approach; thinking like Sly. She figured if she was going to look for Sly, then she would have to think like him. That ended up helping her out a bit more, as it made her less likely to get caught.

Unfortunately, this night did not go so well for them, nor did the next night. They were getting more and more worried about finding Sly. But they were not going to give up, not when they were this close. And to complicate the issue even more, they were beginning to feel that the pharaoh was beggining to get suspicious of them.

On the third night, Carmelita looked around the temple and made another big find. As she looked around, she noticed something shining against the moonlight in the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Sly's cane. She gasped silently and jumped down to it. She picked it up and held it close. "Sly's cane… and it's still warm… he was definitely close by." she said to herself. Carmelita sniffed in the air to see if she could find a trail. However, she was unable to. But then it hit her; the Binocucom! She took it out and scanned the cane for his DNA. The scanner found it and even found a trail. She quickly put the Binocucom away and followed the trail.

Things were looking good now…

At least, she thought…

For within the shadows, a bat was watching her the entire time. It flew away to another part of the temple to tell someone what he saw. He decided to tell the pharaoh and Aziir. He flew around, looking for the two, eventually finding them on the balcony. The bat flew over to Aziir and chittered in his ear. He turned to the bat and growled. "That is upsetting to hear, my little spy." he said.  
"What?" Pharaoh Setis asked. "What did he tell you?"  
"It seems our traveling performer is in cohorts with the raccoon." Aziir replied. "That makes her a traitor to us all."  
"What?!" Setis exclaimed in shock.

"I know… I am surprised myself too." Aziir said. "However, I have a solution for this. You know of the shadowy figure your guards saw?"  
"...Yeah." Setis said, not sure where he was going with this. Aziir grinned evilly at him and looked behind them when he heard footsteps approaching them. Setis turned around and saw the shadowy figure in question. He was wearing all black, a hood, a veil around his mouth, and a red sash.  
"I have him under my control." Aziir said. "Now, my minion. It seems our traveling performer has betrayed us. She's looking for the raccoon."  
"What is my assignment?" he asked.  
"I want you to set something else of his out so that she can find it. And while you are at it, be on the lookout for the others. I suspect they are with her as well." Aziir said.  
"With pleasure." he said before walking away.

The next night, as usual, Carmelita went out in search for clues to Sly's whereabouts. She kept Sly's cane with her, even if to just have a piece of him with her as she searches for him. Soon, she came back to the main hall and saw one of his bags on the floor. She gasped and went over to it. She picked it up and held it close. She took her Binocucom out and scanned the bag, finding Sly's DNA on it. And it was still fresh, on top of that. She decided to contact Bentley.

"I missed him again." she said.  
"But you're getting closer and closer to finding him, and that's a good thing, right?" Bentley asked.  
"Well, yeah, but I want SLY, not just his GEAR." Carmelita pointed out.  
"I know. But don't worry. The net's closing, and we're getting closer to bringing him home." Bentley told her.  
"I hope so." Carmelita said. "But I fear the pharaoh may be onto us. I fear he may know that we're snooping around. I just hope we find Sly and get out of here before-"

 _ ***THWACK!***_

Before Carmelita could finish, she felt something hit her on the back of the head, knocking her out cold. "Carmelita? Are you still there…? Carmelita!" Bentley yelled frantically. Taking the Binocucom and smashing it on the ground, Aziir's minion looked down at his fallen prey. "Too easy." he said before picking her up to take her to Aziir for further instruction.

 ** _* With Dimitri *_**

Dimitri was looking around for Sly in another part of the temple. Unfortunately, his search ended up fruitless and he had to leave. But he did not go very far before a flock of hawks and falcons assaulted him and knocked him out cold. They all carried him away to Aziir, similar to his minion.

 ** _* With Murray *_**

Murray was now scared. Bentley contacted him a while ago, telling him that he thinks something happened to Carmelita. Both are afraid that Carmelita had been found out and was captured. And when Bentley tried to contact Dimitri, he got no response, making him think the same thing for him. Murray was afraid that he was next.

"There he is!" a guard yelled. Murray yelped and turned around, seeing a few guards rushing towards him. But unlike Carmelita and Dimitri, he saw them coming and was ready for them. The guards stood little chance of stopping Murray, who beat them senseless in no time.

"Murray?! What happened?!" Bentley asked.  
"The guards came after me. But I stopped them." Murray said. "It seems the cat's out of the bag; they know why we're truly here."  
"I'll contact Slytunkhamen and see how things are on his end." Bentley said. He switched communication over to Slytunkhamen. "Slytunkhamen! Come in!"  
"Yes? What is it?" he asked. Bentley sighed in relief.

"Good… you're safe." Bentley said. "We fear Carmelita and Dimitri were captured. They tried to get Murray, but he escaped. Apparently, their cover was blown."  
"Oh no!" Slytunkhamen gasped. "I bet I know where they will be taken to – the Colosseum. Setis does not take kindly to traitors. I will let my team know, and we'll head down there immediately."  
"Ok. Good. But go to the temple and find Murray, THEN take him to the Colosseum. I will meet you shortly." Bentley said.  
"Ok. I will see you then." Slytunkhamen said before they both closed communications. Bentley got Carmelita's Shock Pistol and her hooked rods before leaving the safe house to find the Colosseum.

The mission just became that much more crucial than ever before.

 _ **To be continued…**_

 ***We're one chapter away from the big conclusion. I thank all those who have not completely abandoned me, fearing I abandoned the story. I'm deeply sorry. The real world is a cruel mistress sometimes. But anyways, what will happen? Stay tuned for the conclusion, coming… I wish I knew.**  
 **Until then, God bless, and stay safe!**


End file.
